There wasn’t much known about the nature of mana.
Many have devoted themselves to its study, but it remained a force with origins shrouded in uncertainty. Unraveling all its secrets would undoubtedly take time.
There was, however, one fact gleaned through the long history of mankind.
Mana is an exceedingly dangerous force.
It was perilous even in its raw, unrefined state, but its most hazardous manifestation occurred under a different circumstance.
When someone attained mastery over this unknown power.
In common parlance, such a state was referred to as “High Expert” or “Archmage.”
They were monsters, numbering about twenty across the entire continent. These individuals could truly be said to stand on the brink of becoming a Master.
The person earnestly standing before me now was also one of these “monsters.”
A storm of light and heat drenched my senses in white.
Not just my vision—sound, touch, all were overwhelmed by the oppressive violence. The thunderous heat allowed no room for even the slightest gap, shaking my retinas and assaulting me with its cries.
It was almost like being struck by a torrent of lightning.
Instinctively, I raised my sword. Around the straight blade began to gather a silver aura.
Right after that, a barrage of lightning struck my entire body.
The sound of my clenched teeth grinding almost shattered. I almost fainted momentarily but managed to keep my senses and planted my feet once more on the ground.
The crackling charge emitted menacing sounds. Occasionally shooting fragments of current contracted my muscles and delivered pain, but still, I held my ground.
That was crucial.
The fact that I wasn’t losing ground yet.
Even though the blood vessels in my eyes had long since burst, the arm holding my sword trembled nonstop, and sighs incessantly escaped between my clenched teeth.
First, I managed to withstand it once.
Due to the blinding electrical charge, I could not open my eyes. Mr. Reynolds, however, spoke in a voice rarely heated.
“It’s troublesome if you start crying already… There’s still a lot more to go!”
My eardrums were practically being seared by the sound of crackling charges. Surely, there was no spare capacity left to hear any other noise.
Yet, Mr. Reynolds’ tone came through crystal clear.
Perhaps it was survival instinct. My life was on edge, after all, and I couldn’t afford to miss even the smallest scrap of information to stay alive.
I decided to close my eyes instead.
Even after my eyelids shut, my vision burned with a crimson afterimage. When the world finally darkened into obsidian, I grasped what Mr. Reynolds was up to.
A highly concentrated sphere of mana was drawing circles in the air.
Following that trajectory, lances of lightning began to appear one by one. Their number was in the dozens, no, perhaps even more.
Even with all my focus on auditory perception, I couldn’t hear any verbal casting.
How on earth is he doing it?
Strong doubts arose, but I had no luxury for contemplation. My sole recourse was to pour all my mana into my sword.
The silver aura erupted into a fiercer blaze.
When the flames, which had been wavering slowly, coalesced like solid metal, hundreds of stars of death floated in the sky. Each of them contained an overwhelming amount of mana.
Getting hit by one of those would not simply result in unconsciousness or injury.
It was instant death.
Although I hoped that he would hold back with all his strength, I didn’t expect him to use a rain of spears.
My only option was to respond in full power.
With all my strength, I pushed forward in a horizontal slash, breaking the stagnant battlefront in one fell swoop.
And the world split in two.
The Milky Way tore through the darkness, scattering shards of white stars that fell like fragments. All of this was the remnants of shattered mana.
My vision cleared impressively. From afar, I could even lock eyes with Mr. Reynolds, pointing his obsidian staff at me.
I curled the corner of my mouth in a grin of sorts.
There’s no way anyone can see it under the mask, but I hope my gaze communicates my language of the heart.
Still, a scream burst from my lips.
“Are you trying to kill me?”
“I already told you… it’s a death sentence!”
Simultaneously, a downpour began from the sky.
When the previously wavering aura re-condensed, it was then. Every time my sword slashed through the lances of lightning, a clangorous sound of impact echoed, mostly the cries of my blade.
My sword vibrated faintly, delivering an occasional weak current to my arm.
No amount of binding could handle this volume, even with techniques that tie mana. To make matters worse, the lances of lightning weren’t solely aiming at me.
Pook, Pook, Pook.
The lances of lightning that passed by me easily pierced into the ground. Like a needle piercing pudding, it was effortlessly driven into the earth and began to glow with a stark white light.
What it implied was obvious.
There wasn’t even the sound of an explosion.
It had detonated right nearby. An incessant ringing in my ears was all that remained. As I briefly lost consciousness and tried to get up by feeling the ground, my knees buckled again, burying me further into the mud.
The surroundings were already in shambles.
Once a deserted road, it now had several craters everywhere. The once-solid ground had long since crumbled and turned into soft soil.
It had all happened in just a few seconds.
Was this the power of an Archmage? I fixed my blurred sight straight ahead.
There, Mr. Reynolds stood with a solemn expression.
In a deep voice, he asked,
“Would you like more?”
It was the same line I used to provoke him.
Hoo, a faint laugh escaped my lips. Any observer would clearly see that my skill was still far from that of an Archmage.
A magician close to becoming a Master is called a “High Expert,” just as a swordsman at that level bears the title. While an “Expert” can cultivate and freely use their aura, a “High Expert” transcends that rank significantly.
Unfortunately, I hadn’t yet reached that level.
Yet, I could already see the very edge of my intended path, just within reach.
I clenched my teeth and stood up again. My wobbling wasn’t too much to bear.
“Of course.”
“Even if you die, don’t blame me.”
Already, three spells were waiting for me.
A globe of lightning in the sky, a wave of lightning rushing head-on, and a net of lightning rising from the ground.
The intention was clear.
Trap me in the net, bind my sword with the wave, and intercept me with the globe. Such an open display of his strategy was rare.
The implication was equally clear.
He must think I couldn’t break through this.
I took a deep breath and straightened my sword. The aerial assault from lightning resumed.
With a thunderous roar, a bolt of lightning struck my blade like a cannon. On the sizzling, crackling ground, I plunged the hatchet strapped to my waist into it.
I began to disperse the mana through the sole of my foot, pressing down on the hatchet.
Would this work?
Auric energy flows from the heart, through the arm, and into the weapon via the hand. While I had never attempted any other method, I inwardly believed it would be possible.
After all, dispersing energy throughout the entire body was a basic skill for a swordsman.
But there was a point that worried me deeply.
I intended to control two auras—binding with the sword and releasing with the hatchet.
It was an absurd idea. I’d never heard of anyone managing auras in such a manner.
Why was I taking such a reckless risk?
For one reason. Binding and releasing, although divided into two for my convenience, originally stemmed from one vision.
Inheriting from the great witch who had reached the pinnacle of magic.
She must have considered the dual chant naturally.
And my belief was affirmed not long after.
“Hrgh…!”
A sound of astonishment came from Mr. Reynolds. The silver aura was tearing through the rising web of electricity, shining brightly as it cleaved the ground.
My brain felt like it was going to burst. The mana coursing through my blood vessels wildly raced, causing pain. Yet, still, I wore a smile.
It’s working.
With a thunderous crack, the earth split and the foundation erupted. The fog-like silver aura quickly dissipated, leaving the grid of lightning vanishing instantly.
The floating hatchet was caught by my remaining hand due to the force of the explosion.
With no hesitation, I hurled the rotating hatchet, scattering the silver mist as it struck the globes of lightning repeatedly.
Clang, clang, clang!
One by one, the orbs of lightning shattered with sharp sounds of impact. Golden particles of mana fell like fireflies.
Finally, the wave of lightning heating my blade began to show cracks.
Mr. Reynolds’ bewilderment was clearly reflected in his magic—this was no time to miss my chance.
Crackle, my blade pierced the cylindrical wave of lightning.
I’d already expended too much mana. It was impossible to erase this wave of lightning in a single strike as before.
But could I just cut through it?
While my blade held back the tidal wave of lightning, my body shifted to the side. Through gritted teeth and pushing off the ground, I sliced the cylindrical magic horizontally.
Rush, rush, rush!
With one singular thought, my vision gradually narrowed. My breaths grew heavy, and before long, it felt like time itself stood still.
Only I ran through this world painted in black and white.
With few more steps, a leap-like dash resulted in Mr. Reynolds appearing unmistakably before my eyes.
All I had to do was swing my sword, and it would be over.
The moment I was certain of victory.
Chug. The obsidian staff floated into the air. Immediately after.
Two globes of lightning, floating in the sky, descended.
Between me and Mr. Reynolds.
The explosive force finally sent my body flying backward. Judging by the shockwave, he was also forced to roll on the ground.
Time began to flow again.
I grabbed my chest, panting heavily. It hurt so much, unsure if I’d ever moved this quickly.
Mr. Reynolds struggled to stand up, swaying.
A faint groan escaped his lips.
“What was that just now…?”
My puzzled gaze turned to Mr. Reynolds. He seemed genuinely surprised.
“For a moment, it felt like time stopped… No, that’s impossible.”
And with that, Mr. Reynolds dismissed the random topic he’d brought up on his whim. Shaking his head a few times, he regained his composure shortly after.
A fresh flare of blue fire danced in his eyes, even more intense than before.
“Remarkable. I recognize your skill now—worthy to take Elsi.”
“Then… hek… Are we done?”
With broken breaths, I barely managed to respond. Mr. Reynolds chuckled as if amused.
“Hahaha, have we had our fun and now we’re talking? That’s only for you… Listen, my son-in-law.”
I thought I heard a distant sound, like an impact from somewhere.
But there was no shockwave from anywhere, so my eyes aimlessly scanned around. Shortly after, the air started to vibrate with a hum.
The mana from all over the world was being drawn into a single point.
It was then I realized the center of it.
Without a word, my gaze lifted toward Mr. Reynolds.
The flames burning in his eyes were fiercer than ever, uncontrollable.
“I have yet to reach the end of truth. But I’ve glimpsed its edge… Can you imagine what emotion I felt upon seeing it?”
Wobbling dangerously, I stood up.
Gales of wind howled fiercely. Even the prelude of casting was already violent, without any spell being cast yet.
The Archmage’s cloak was flailing wildly in the chaos.
“Fear.”
And the confession followed, almost spat out.
“Despair, helplessness… In the face of such great laws, how pitiful and insufficient is humanity? No matter how much I struggled, I was merely swallowed by an endless abyss.”
The magic circles lined up behind the magician began to shine and rotate again. Faster, faster still.
Until the electrical charges crackling and erupting became blindingly bright.
He’s on a different level.
I could only tremble. This is the full might of someone who has seen a fragment of truth.
“Thus, I fled… It felt as though the sheer existence of me would vanish forever into the ocean of truth. Ultimately, I failed to prove myself.”
Simultaneously, the magician flicked the obsidian staff.
With a sound of splitting, incomprehensible rupture noises echoed. My eyes aimlessly lifted to the sky.
The night sky itself was collapsing.
Cracks ran like fractures of glass through the sky, and the electric currents invading through the cracks were blinding. As if intent to devour the entire ink-black world.
What could possibly lie beyond?
Infinite bolts of lightning?
It was clear that Mr. Reynolds had pulled out all his stops. There was no other way to explain this phenomenon.
A certain smell, faintly perceptible, tickled the tip of my nose through senses heightened beyond any other time in my life.
The Dark Cult.
I don’t know why, but that name surfaced in my mind. Although the awe-inspiring scene before me quickly overshadowed and erased it from my thoughts.
The Archmage asked like a judge pronouncing a death sentence.
“Come now, would you like to witness my feeble thrashing?”
A dry swallow traveled through my throat.
I shouldn’t look.
Certainly, I would die. This magic must have an overwhelming power beyond what I could withstand.
The sky itself was crumbling.
How could any mere mortal beneath it possibly rebel?
Still, still… why?
Why does the scenery behind the collapsing sky look so compelling?
I desperately wanted to see it. Thus, I couldn’t decide how to respond.
As if expecting this reaction, the Archmage nodded slightly.
“Then observe clearly… Though I can only show you briefly, with your current state…”
Right at that moment.
A crisp sound echoed out of nowhere as something struck.
My eyes turned blankly toward the source of the sound. There, Mr. Reynolds’ figure slouched forward.
For a brief moment, my thoughts froze. I couldn’t understand the situation at all.
Behind the fallen Archmage, a black-haired girl emerged, heaving from her labored breaths.
Her golden eyes gleamed even in the darkness. The pickaxe in her trembling hands was particularly noticeable.
At last, a dumbfounded “Ah” escaped my lips as I vaguely understood what had happened.
The girl trembled violently as she shouted in rage.
“Hey, you, crazy old man! Who were you trying to kill just now?! How dare you… die, die, die… die!”
Thwack, thwack.
The blade of the pickaxe struck the unconscious middle-aged man’s body a couple more times. Amidst this, the gales had ceased, and the rift in the sky had disappeared.
All I could do was let out a deflated smile.
Sure enough, an angry sister was invincible.
And the unexpected guest wasn’t just Miss Liya.
Behind Liya, a familiar shadow could be seen. A young man wearing glasses, looking awkwardly troubled.
Perhaps it was about time I clarified the situation, at least as her brother.
